Sakura Blossoms
by ChocolateKisses19
Summary: Sakura was tired of being weak, useless and the reason Naruto was currently in the hospital. Not anymore, oh no, Sakura Haruno wasn't going to be a burden anymore, she'd make sure of it. I know it's a crappy summary, but the story is much better, I promise :)


_Authors Note:_

This story takes place during the time that Sakura becomes and trains with Tsunade as her apprentice, and will eventually get to the point where Sakura and Naruto become Team 7 together again. This is also my first story, so I'd love to see some constructive criticism, but no outright hate please!

 ***I don't own anything! All characters besides an OC I will add later belong to Kishimoto, the creator of the Naruto manga :)***

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Make me your apprentice!

" _Naruto!_ " She couldn't get the noise of metal hitting skin, mixed with his scream, out of her head all day. Naruto had gotten hirt because of her, that's all Sakura could think of. His face and words echoed through her head as she made her way up the shadowed path to the Hokage's office, like a constant reminder of her failure on their last mission.

He had told her that he'd keep her safe. That she could count on him for anything. And she hated it, the knowledge that she was the reason he was hurt again. "Never again" she promised herself, dipping her head so that her hair shadowed her facial features. "Don't worry Naruto, because the next time we meet I'll be able to carry my own weight."

Sakura stopped at the large wood door separating her from the 5th Hokage nervously. _"No excuses Sakura! It's now or never, you have to do this, for Naruto...for Sasuke."_ Right. This was her chance. Without anymore hesitation, she pushed open the door and squared her shoulders bravely. Tsunade glanced up, raising an eyebrow at the genin's sudden appearance. "Sakura? Is something wrong?" she asked, eyeeyes narrowing with concern at the girls odd stance.

Sakura took a deep breath, before mustering all the confidence she could. "Tsunade-sama, I would like you to take me on as your apprentice!"

Tsunade's concerned frown stretched into something akin to a grin, slowly moving her body forward to lean onto her desk. "Hmm...and what makes you think that you are suitable to becoming my student?" Tsunade's voice was firm in its meaning, and Sakura couldn't help but feel intimidated by the question. "W-Well, I..." Sakura felt her chin wobble slightly, afraid to admit her guilt and failures aloud. _Deep breaths..._ "I want to protect the people I love, M'Lady. I-Naruto worked so hard for me and yet I could only stand and watch. If I want to help him, there has to be something I can do, and I though you could help me."

Lady Tsunade blinked. "So you want to learn medical ninjutsu to _protect_?" Well, though that wasn't exactly true, Sakura nodded. "I was wondering if you could teach me everything you know. If I can use medical ninjutsu, I could heal other's wounds so they won't be in pain." Sakura felt her voice crack at the end, the image of Jiraiya carrying Naruto back to the Leaf Village momentarily pausing her train of thoughts. Tsunade, watching closely, finally sighed and pushed herself back in her chair.

"Your heart is in the right place Sakura. I will take you on as my apprentice, but you must be prepared. If you truly want to get stronger, you will have to endure the pain and discomfort I will put you through." "Yes! I mean, of course!" Sakura cried, practically jumping in her place. "Don't worry M'Lady, I made a promise to Naruto and I'm going to keep it, if I don't, I'll never be of any help to him." As Sakura jumped and cheered to herself, Tsunade turned her head towards the hospital. _If she really means it..._

"Lady Tsunade?" The question pulled the older shinobi from her thoughts. "Yes, alright. If you're so prepared, then training starts tomorrow morning, 5:30am sharp in my office. If you're late then I won't see any reason to continue, you hear!" Sakura flinched slightly at the change in tone. Instead of replying, she simply nodded and turned to leave, pushing the grand oak door open. "Thank you..." And with that, the young genin disappeared behind the doorway, before Tsunade had any time to respond.

/Time skip/

Heading home went by quickly, as Sakura bounced from rooftop to rooftop, allowing herself to glide smoothly into her room window. It was almost ten at this point, meaning she had missed dinner...again. As soon as her feet touched the floor, however, a loud bang erupted from the other end of her door.

"Sssakuraaa! Where on earth have you been! And don't pretend we didn't see you sneaking through that window of yours. Why, I ought to board it up!" The shrill shriek of her mother's voice had Sakura flinging herself into the room and pressing up against the wall in the far corner of her little room. She crouched down and refused to let out any loud breaths, wishing her parents would leave her alone until morning. Several minutes of yelling and hushed arguments went on beyond her door before, after a good hour or so, there was another bang on the poor wood contraption, finally signifying that Sakura's mother seemed to give up the effort.

Only when the quiet had spread to the rest of the house and Sakura's parents were asleep did she dare to move away from her safe corner. She quietly slipped into a comfortable, long shirt and some old track shorts before settling in to sleep. As hard as she tried, Sakura just couldn't find it in her to drift off just yet. The dull hum of the street lights outside was what finally seemed to sooth her raging thoughts and regret, slowly lulling her off into a restless sleep. Just before her eyes closed for the last time that night, however, she swore that she heard Naruto's voice, accompanied by that of another man's in the distance, getting further and further from the village entrance.

Unknown to Sakura, an older shinobi stood by the window to her room, eyeing her peaceful expression with one of jealous pain. "Tsunade's new apprentice huh...tch, as if she could ever carry on the Hokage's skill. What a pathetic girl..."

The shadowed figure waited for a moment longer before moving away from the window and racing back in the direction of the outer woods.

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 _Author's Note:_

I'm probably going to warp the Naruto story line just a little bit as this continues to fit my perception of what Sakura probably would have been doing in those years that Naruto was out training with Jiraiya, and this story will be following her thoughts and feelings for the most part, with some added character thoughts such as Tsunade and, later on, Naruto. I have several chapters already written, including more to this chapter, so this is in no way going to be complete soon. Thanks for reading :)


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